Volcanoes are formed as magma rises to fill the gap
New crust is formed
Destructive Plate Boundary
Oceanic plate forced under Continental plate
(subduction as Oceanic plate is lighter than the
Continental Plate) . Edge of continental plate folded
upwards to form a mountain range.
Example
Pacific and Eurasian
Nascar Plate forced under the South American Plate
Causes
Earthquakes as friction
causes the melting of the
Oceanic plate
Volcanic eruptions as
magma rises up
through the cracks
to the surface.
Conservative Plate Boundary
Two plates slide past each
other. They don't slip, they
get stuck and pressure builds
until the plates jump forward
sending out shockwaves.
Example
North American and Pacific
San Andreas Fault
Causes
The shockwaves that are sent
out when the plates jolt
forward cause earthquakes
Collision Zones
Two continental plates
collide with each other.
Neither plate is forced
under there other so Fold
Mountains are formed.
Example
Indo-Australian and Eurasian
Indian tectonic plate pushing up and against the Asian plate
Mount Everest
Causes
Mountains such as Mount Everest
Volcanos
Hotspot
Shield
Shape: Shield Shape but
much broader than
constructive
Areas where a plate is particularly
thing, magma is able to escape to
the surface.
Causes
Creates new land
Eruption
Almost continuous
Gentle oozing
Produces: Lava
Example
Mauna Loa, Hawaii
Constructive
Shield
Shape: Shield Shape
Two plates moving apart and
magma can reach the surface
through the crack.
Causes
Create submarine mountain
ranges - ocean ridges.
Mid-Atlantic ridge
Eruption
Gentle (Effusive)
Produces:
Ash and Lava
Runny Lava with low silica content
Therefor goes far
Large ash clouds
Frequent
Doesn't build up pressure
Example
Surtsey - Iceland
Destructive
Composite
Shape: Steep Sides and Cone Shaped
High
One plate goes beneath an other.
Friction causes that plate to melt. The
magma forces its way to the surface to
form a volcano.
Eruption
Produces: Ash, Lava Pyroclastic Flows
Lava has a high silica content and viscous
Less runny
Not frequent
Has time to build up pressure causing more violent eruptions
Massive craters
Secondary cone to release
pressure to ensure that the whole
volcano doesn't blow
Composed of different
layers: ash and lava
Example
Mount St Helens
Why people choose to live near volcanos
Cost Vs Benefit
Fertile Land - Over time
nutrients from the
volcano make land
more fertile
Mining - Resources
Geothermal Energy
Tourism
Family in the area/They were born there
Job there
Lack of Alternatives
"It will never happen to them"
Prediction
Historical Records
Gap between eruptions and how
consistent it is.
Geostationary Satellites
Take infa-red images of the
volcano to see where
magma is and if it is rising.
Seismometers
Detect small tremors in the
earth and anything irregular
could mean lava is rising and
pressure building.
Hydrology
Amount of water content in the
ground. If it's high it could mean
magma is rising as it is heating up
the ground water, making it rise so
an eruption is likely.
Gas
Monitoring the gases that come out of the
volcano, such as Sulphur. If a rise in the
reading then this could mean an eruption.
Geophysical Measurements
Checks the acidity of the soil. Gases from the volcano
make soil acid so high acidity - likely eruption.
Ground Deformation
Sensors track how much over time the ground changes. If
the ground moves unexpectedly then magma chamber could
be getting bigger as well as pressure building.